10 Essential E-commerce Website Features

An e-commerce website is built to help increase the sales and revenues of companies. However, not all e-commerce websites generate a good return because they don’t include some necessary features. If an e-commerce website incorporates the following features, it’ll generate good sales.

The navigation system is the single most important feature of an e-commerce website. If the website has a user-friendly navigation system, it’ll have more traffic and less bounce rate. Some of the leading e-commerce websites like Amazon and Overstock have a comprehensive navigation system that enables their customers to easily navigate to the desired product. Users prefer an e-commerce website with a good navigation system. If the website has a good navigation system, a customer comes back regularly and buys frequently which leads to increased sales.

The search box is an important feature to have in e-commerce websites. Almost all websites these days have this feature but a properly implemented search feature is something that most e-commerce sites lack. If it is designed properly, it would enable the customer to quickly access a product. The search box can be made visible by having the text “Enter keywords or item #” placed in it. 

The search box can incorporate an intelligent auto-complete feature which would save the user time. It can also include smarter breadcrumbs which would allow users to search smartly. Retail giant Kohl’s uses this feature on its website. The feature lists the category of the searched product in breadcrumbs, and the users can uncheck the category they don’t want to include in the search without having to search again.

Some customers shop only for exclusive deals and hot price offerings. If the hot deals link (most preferably with an image) is located on the home page, the customer would be able to quickly access the product and buy it. Hot deal products are viewed more than regular products, and it is the best way to quickly sell certain products.

Featured products are different from Hot Deals since they are products you want to promote. They can be seasonal products, new products, or products that need to be sold first. Featured Products can be marked as “Manager’s Choice” or “Manager’s Pick” which will make it easier for the customer to spot them when they are listed in search returns. They should be placed on the home page so that the customer can quickly access them.

Product Comparison is a great feature that can be used to influence your customers. When a customer is comparing products, additional suggestive products can be listed at the end of the page for the customer. Product comparison can make use of smart filters and sort tools to make it easy for the customer to select the correct product.

Bundle Products/Bundle Offer is an effective feature that helps to increase sales. If several products are placed together and the customer is notified that they would save some cash when they buy these products together, then the customer would be interested in buying the bundle offer.

Product Video or Demo helps the customer learn more about the product. It enables the customer to look at the functioning of the product. Product video also helps to boost search engine rankings. Search results contain 40% of video results. If you have a product video posted on YouTube or other video channels, there is a high percentage it will be listed on the first page of the search engine, giving your website an SEO boost.

When customers post comments on the product page, it helps you to engage with them. You should devote some time daily or one day a week to reply to posts, and remove unnecessary comments. Engaging with the customer helps to clear any confusion the customer has about the product. Customer posts and feedbacks carry more weight than reviews written by the website administrator.

Some e-commerce websites take a long time to load. This is because they haven’t been optimized. Most store owners put high-definition images which are good for customers but sometimes they don’t optimize the images and the pages take a long time to load. Optimizing the website’s web pages would enable a faster loading time and low bounce rate. More customers will shop on your website since they will be able to quickly buy the desired product.

Social media icons placed on product pages will enable your customers to engage with their friends and followers. They can share the product page on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Stumbleupon, etc. Sharing product on social media increases traffic and engages many others on your site.

We have used these features in many e-commerce websites, which has helped to increase sales of the website. If you are looking for any assistance or have questions about any of the above features, we would be glad to be of any help. Please contact us at sales@vizteck.com